Lubricating system



June 24, 1930. E. w. DAvls LUBRICATING 'SYSTEM Filed Aug. 1, 1925 Patente-diminue 124,1 193i! auuiran 'STATES .meer w.

OI' JCHIQAGO, ILLINOIS,

MTE-NT m@ i navrs, or' om PAnx-nnmors, nssmiron 'ro ALEMIrn ennroaa'rron,

A conromrron' or -DELAW -1 f.. y v

` Y. nunmcarmesrsrnu Y.

applicati@ med .august 41, icas. serial in. 47,528.

` invention relates 'to lubrication and more specicially to an improved lubricating system. of

trallzed. 1 l

`Among the objects and advantagesof the the general type known asceninvention may be enumerated:

First, the provision of a centralized lsysl tem in which afsingle source of lubricant I resistance v quota, a

under'pressure is connected, with the bearins by one or more conduits that may be branche or divided, to supplylubricant Ito a plurality of bearings,1so that itis not necessary to pro'y Vide a conduit leading from the pump to each` of the bearings.` Second, the tem such as described, in which the source of lubricant under pressure may or may not include means for more or less accurately measuring. the lubricant applied -to the 'bearings during each operation of the system.-

Third, the provision of a system, such as described, including means at each of the bearingsvfor determining the relative appor tionment between the die'ren't bearings.

Fourth, theprovision of means in asys tem according to the third object for rendering the apportlonment between different bearvin'gsfsubstantially inde ndent orfV the `flow properties o the different bearings,a'nd' Fifth, automatic compensation forl diierences in the resistance of the diferent beat'- ings to. entry of the lubricant and more r less continuousmaintenance during the intervalsl between successive lubrications of pressure on each bearing suilicientto compel the bea ing to vreceive its predetermined lil independent and without disturb ance tofthe apportionin means. Further objects and a vantages of the invention willbecome apparent as thedescription proceeds.' .l

In the accompanying drawings: l Figure 1 is a central axial section lthrough `an apportioning unit according to the invention.

. Figure 2 is Va sectional view of a lubricant pumpin means of a type that'ma'y advanprovision of a lubricating sys-v closes the inlet 50.

.Figure 1." v

In the embodiment of the invention selected Figure .3 is a side-elevation: the unit of for illustration, the lubricant source com?.

prises a reservoir having a compression lcyllnd'er 12 mounted on itsA bottom. The

compression which, at vthe/top' of inlet port`l 18 to' admit to the cylinder. The plunger 16 is continued 1n an enlargement 19 aving a lateral pocket 20 to receive a ca m 22 mounted on a shaft 24.

'cylinderreceives the plunger 16 its stroke, clears the a charge of lubricant' .An-extension 26'abov'e' the enlargement 19 enters a guiding pocket 28 in the reservoir cover 30. The plunger 16v and associated parts are strongly urged downward by a compression spring 32 abutting the enlargement 19 and seating in a pocket 34 formed on the cover.

cam 22 out of the pocket 20, the plunger 16 will move downward to trap a lcharge of lubricant in the bottom of the cylinderand maintain a high pressure thereon until it has been expelled through the system ofconduits 38 leading tothe various bearings.

At the end of eachV conduit 38 -I- provide an It will be apparent that each time the 4shaft 24 carries the toe 36 of the apportioning unit. I have illustrated a body i 40 threaded at 42 into the stationary bearing member L14g/which receives the movable member 46. T he body 40 cooperates with acap 48to deinea housing having an inlet 50 and an open outlet 52 leadin to the bearing. A check valve 54 held in p ace by a spring 56, which also retains a screen 58 againstdisplacement by -pressing it against a flange 60 at the lower edge of the cap 48, normally The cup shaped member 62 has a' threaviedexterior and 1s a pressed fit in the smooth and unthreaded portion of the body 40 receiving the same. Lubricant vpassing through the unit is thus constrained to followthe-spiralcourse of the threads through a path of considerable length and relatively high ilow resistance. The space inside thecup 62 vis normally lilled with' air andv operates as a .resilient storage chamber. When the, unit is to operate upside down or in a position other than the uprlght oneof Figure 1, I preferably provide a retainer alsl l I in the form of a cup telescoping in cup 62. Tov make use of the entire volume afforded by the, vcup 62, the cup 64 is preferably` inverted.

` V-shaped grooves 66 may be formed in the bot- .oil lsupply to tom of the cup 64 to prevent it from tting fover the end of the outlet 52 and interrupting the discharge of lubricant. i

I It will be apparent that the relative rates of different bearings having different requirements may be readily obtained by the .use of calibrated cups 62 having offered by any bearing threads formed to make passages of different lengths and cross sections. I have found that a complete s stem can readily be built so that the lowest ow resistance has a value. considerably in excess of the highest resistance However, where resilient storage means 1s interpolated between the check valve and the bearing, any marked superiority in the resistance of the calibrated cups as. compared with the resistance of the bearing, becomes largely unnecessary because the storage unit will receive the lubricant at e knowledge, readily adapt the time of lubrication, and build up a pressure proportionate to the bearing resistance,`

deliver a total charge substantially fixed in,y

quantity, renders any other measuring means aside rom the ump p itself unnecessary. Thus, the pump w1ll measure and deliver the total amount of lubricant that should bereceived by all the bearings associated with it,

V,the different calibrated'flo'w resistances will sub-divide this total charge accurately as between the different bearings, and the storage chambers will retain the smaller sub-dividedl charges and press them into the bearings with as much pressure as may be necessary to get them in. c

Without further elaboration, the foregoing will so fully explain the gist of my invention,

a plying current that yothers may, by

he same for use under various conditions of service without eliminating certain features which may prop-V erly be said to constitute the essential items of novelty involved, which items are intended to be defined and secured to me by the following claims.

I claim: l

1. A lubricating system comprising means acting periodically to deliver measured charges of lubricant, check valved means receiving said charges, a calibrated iiow resistance receiving said charges from said last named means, a resilient storage chamber receiving said charges from said calibrated flow resistance and a bearing to be lubri catedcommunicating with said chamber.

2. lubricating system comprising means charges,'-a resilient storage chamber, a 'calibrated flow resistance forming the only path v of communication between said check valved means and said chamber, and a bearing to be lubricated communicating with said chamber.

3. A lubricatingsystem comprising means acting periodically vto deliver vmeasured charges of lubricant, a branched conduit. receiving said charges, each branch containing check valve means, a calib'rated flow resist? ance in each branch beyond said check valve means, a bearing to be lubricated in each branch beyond said iiow resistance, and resilient storage means in each branch between said ow resistance and said bearing for rendering the calibration largely independent of bearing resistance.

4. A lubricating system comprising means `for delivering lubricant under pressure, a

branched conduit receiving said charges, a calibrated flow resistance in each branch, a bearing tobe lubricated in each branch beyond said flow resistance, and resilient storage meansv in each branch between said iow resistance and said bearing forrendering the calibration largely independent of bearing resistance. Y

5. A flow resistance unit for lubricating systems comprising a hollow cylinder having a relatively smooth inner surface, a filler fast in said cylinder, said filler having its cuter surface threaded to form a passage for lubricant, said filler being cup shaped,'a piston freely slidable 'in said, filler, and a filling of gas in said cup.

6. A lubricating system comprising a pluralitv of bearings to be lubricated, a source of lubricant, a branched conduit connecting said source of lubricant with said bearings, a calibrated low resistance in each branch of said conduit for maintaining a proportionalitv between the quantities of lubricant supplied to each bearing and means between each, flow resistance and each bearing for storage under variable pressure the oil discharged past said flow resistance.

7. A lubricating system comprising a pluralitv of bearings to be lubricated, a source of lubricant, a branched conduit connecting said source of lubricant with' said bearings, a calibrated flow resistance in each branch of said conduit for maintaining a proportionality between the quantities of lubricant `supplied to each bearing, and means between each How resistance and each bearing for storing under resilient pressure the oil dis'- charged past said flow resistance.

8. j A` control unit for lubricant supply sys# tems comprising a housing having an inlet and' an open outlet, a check valve, a flow resistance, and a resilient storage means, said storage means being between said flow resistanee and said outlet.

9. A control unit for lubricant supply sys,- tems comprising a housing having an inlet and an outlet, a check valve, a How resistance, and a resilient storage means, said last two elements being both inside seid housing, und said storage means being between said How/resistance and said outlet.

n witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 14th day of July, 1925.

' ERNEST W. DAVIS. 

